Teens: Check out these summertime young adult book recommendations from the Abington Community Library:
Non-Fiction
• “Popular: Vintage Wisdom for A Modern Geek” by Maya Van Wagenen
A touchingly honest, candidly hysterical memoir from breakout teen author Maya Van Wagenen. Stuck at the bottom of the social ladder, Maya Van Wagenen decided to begin a unique social experiment: spend the school year following a 1950s popularity guide, written by former teen model Betty Cornell. Can curlers, girdles, Vaseline, and a strand of pearls help Maya on her quest to be popular?
• “I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives” by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
The true story of an all-American girl and a boy from Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever.
• “Please Excuse This Poem: 100 New Poets for the Next Generation” edited by Brett Fletcher Lauer and Lynn Melnick
This book features 100 acclaimed younger poets from truly diverse backgrounds and points of view, whose work has appeared everywhere from The New Yorker to Twitter, tackling a startling range of subjects in a startling range of poetic forms.
• “Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood” by Marjane Satrapi
A graphic memoir of Marjane Satrapi’s childhood growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.
• “The Green Teen Cookbook” edited Laurane Marchive and Pam McElroy
The Green Teen Cookbook shows teens how to shop smarter, cook more consciously and eat a healthier diet.
Fiction
• “American Born Chinese” by Gene Luen Lang
Alternates three interrelated stories about the problems of young Chinese Americans trying to participate in the popular culture. Presented in comic book format.
• “Vango: Between Sky and Earth” by Timothee de Fombelle
In a world between wars, a young man on the cusp of taking priestly vows is suddenly made a fugitive.
• “Lucy and Linh” by Alice Pung
A witty novel that’s “part ‘Mean Girls,’ part ‘Lord of the Flies’” about navigating life in private school while remaining true to yourself.
• “Swan Boy” by Nikki Sheehan
This magical coming-of-age story will touch anyone who has struggled with insecurity, change, grief and the difficulty of listening to their inner voice to find the strength to become his or her own unique individual.
